The U.S. Constitution, America’s foundational document, begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The U.S. Army, established a dozen years before these words were written, has been and remains instrumental in achieving each of the objectives this preamble lays out. As the Army’s 250th birthday approaches on June 14, we might do well to reflect on this broad tradition of selfless service.
Winning Wars
The “common defence”—anticipating, fighting and winning the nation’s wars—is the imperative that comes most readily to mind when thinking about the Army. The service’s long and proud history in this regard is evoked by the 190 campaign streamers awarded thus far: 16 for the Revolutionary War, six for the War of 1812, 10 for the Mexican-American War, 25 for the Civil War, 14 for the American Indian Wars, three for the Spanish-American War, 11 for the Philippine-American War, 13 for World War I, 38 for World War II, 10 for the Korean War, 17 for the Vietnam War, three for Southwest Asia 1990–95, two for Kosovo, 14 for the war on terrorism and eight for other expeditions over time.
These campaigns were not enterprises the Army chose. Rather, they were directed by the U.S. government on behalf of the American people when vital interests were considered at risk.
The Army’s flag-bearing units carry the campaign streamers they are entitled to on their colors. Collectively considered, these streamers evoke a centuries-long story of service and sacrifice. Over 1.35 million U.S. service members have died from all causes since 1775. About 1.5 million have been seriously wounded, and over 80,000 have gone missing. Tens of millions have served, enduring physical hardship and mortal danger. In 250 years of Army history, a campaign that generated a streamer was underway in 128 of those years.
Thus, for over half of America’s history, soldiers have been campaigning somewhere, risking life and limb in the service of their country. They gained and defended America’s independence, secured the nation’s expansion across the North American continent and beyond, and defended democracy from tyranny time and again.
Above and Beyond
The common defense may be the most visible constitutional role the Army has played, but its contributions to “promote the general Welfare” also have been critical. Security is, in itself, a form of welfare, but soldiers often go beyond that in the service of their country. The Army is the most readily accessible source of organized manpower available to the federal government and has been drawn upon for purposes other than warfighting from the beginning. For example, the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–06 was but one of many Army undertakings committed to exploration, mapmaking and science.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, was America’s preeminent engineering school for many years, and its graduates proved vital in developing and improving ports, waterways, topographical surveys, railroads and infrastructure. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains vital in this regard.
Soldiers have filled in as first responders, emergency logisticians, relief organizers and medical providers when needed, particularly in the face of natural disasters. America’s national parks originally were staffed by soldiers. Nation-building at home and abroad has drawn upon soldiers as administrators, workers and educators. The Army shepherded scientific developments as varied as preventive medicine, vaccination, flight, electronic communications, nuclear energy, computers, the internet and many others too numerous to list.
Research pursued in the interest of the common defense has spilled over into dozens of other arenas. The job description of American soldiers has never been narrow; soldiers serve as circumstances require.
Army endeavors to promote the “common defence” and “general Welfare” helped Americans “to form a more perfect Union.” The corporate effort required proved unifying. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress assumed responsibility for the New England militia units that marched to succor Massachusetts after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Congress rushed to raise and dispatch further units from other states.
The resultant Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington, soon featured regiments from every colony, raised for extended service. Abetted by local militia serving for shorter periods, it evolved into a well-organized force knitting the Colonies together. It was the first U.S. institution with a truly national character.
Traditional Partners
The mix of Regulars and militia that fought and won the American Revolution endured long-term, evolving into the partnership linking the active and reserve components today. Building on traditions dating from the first Colonial settlements to even earlier Old World expectations of citizen-soldiers, the reserve component is an expansive presence in communities across the nation. Military service, whether active or reserve, tends to inspire patriotism and selflessness.
Those who commit to causes larger than themselves identify with others who do likewise. The GI Bill with its benefits, along with veterans’ organizations and the Department of Veterans Affairs, have deepened the bonds. A “more perfect Union” is more than territory defended and welfare secured; it also is a spirit of community that carries citizens through good times and bad.
Alas, even a robust spirit of community can become disrupted if one group believes itself so aggrieved that it resorts to violence, or if criminality runs unchecked. Recognizing this, the Founding Fathers wrote to “insure domestic Tranquility” into the Constitution’s preamble.
At the time, only the militia was in position and potent enough to deal with large-scale violence. Thus, Congress can call “forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel invasions.” The president, as commander in chief, leads necessary remedial efforts. The president can initiate actions on his own in emergency circumstances, given that Congress may need time to catch up.
Over time, the Army’s role with respect to “domestic Tranquility” has diminished. Professional police forces evolved that are better suited to enforce the law, and legal and political maturation provide better alternatives to insurrection. Additionally, the U.S. Border Patrol is a potent force capable of handling all but the largest incursions.
Nevertheless, the Army is more muscular than any of these and serves as a backstop when other institutions seem on the verge of being overwhelmed. This can be in the form of a governor calling up their militia (the National Guard) without the federal government being involved or in the form of a larger federal project directed by the president. The Army’s least-preferred role is the use of force to supervise American citizens or migrants in a domestic setting. However, it is a role the Constitution envisioned as occasionally being necessary.
Supporting Roles
National efforts to “establish Justice” are more likely to succeed in a secure environment, but the Army often is regarded as having had but a supporting role in this pursuit. Its constitutional character and missions derive from the legislative and executive branches, whereas justice is generally seen as the province of the judiciary. However, beyond security, the Army has played an important indirect role in pursuit of justice by virtue of its good example—despite historical delays and intermittent lapses and flaws.
The Army has made major contributions to the struggle against racial and ethnic prejudice. It lost hundreds of thousands in the war that ended slavery, offered careers to oppressed minorities when others did not, and the military was desegregated in 1948, long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It has been an engine of assimilation, absorbing thousands who aspired to become Americans, teaching them and setting them on a course to productive citizenship. It paid women full value for their service. The Uniform Code of Military Justice has evolved as a model system reconciling justice, discipline and individual rights. Even Army pay scales tilt toward justice, with the highest and lowest more equitable than elsewhere. Services and benefits are equally available to all.
The Founding Fathers took a long view, and thus ended with a final imperative to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” The Army also takes a long view and evolved into an institution wherein one cohort and then generation after another passes the torch while sustaining high standards.
The Army’s school systems are critical in this regard, training and educating soldiers of all ranks for positions they will assume. Patterns of career progression develop soldiers through levels of increasing skill and responsibility, moving them along in a stream that constantly replenishes itself.
Soldiers participate in their own development, taking the initiative to improve their knowledge and skills. No single soldier is irreplaceable. The institution as a whole puts the right soldiers into the right places year after year, century after century.
Soldiers take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Americans are generally mindful of what soldiers have done to defend the Constitution over the past 250 years, but often are fuzzier about what they have done to support it. The Constitution’s preamble identifies six objectives; the Army has been essential in achieving each of them. On the Army’s 250th birthday, this should be a source of pride for us all.
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Brig. Gen. John Brown, U.S. Army retired, served 33 years, with his last assignment as chief of military history at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. The author of Kevlar Legions: The Transformation of the U.S. Army, 1989–2005, he holds a doctorate in history from Indiana University.